Toe stop for roller skates



Dec. 20, 1955 E. I. FACKLER 2,727,749

TOE STOP FOR ROLLER SKATES Filed Dec. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR: IX? 1. aZ/er.

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Dec. 20, 1955 E. I. FACKLER TOE STOP FOR ROLLER SKATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1952 INV NTOR. 171' z are?! United States Patent .TGE' STOPJEORIRGEEERJSKATES Eli" IfiFackler, Clintomlflich.

. Application December 11, 1952, Serial =No. 325,3 7 6 2I'Claims. (Cl. 280-113) ..This. :invention relates to roller skates,-and,- "more apartic'ularly,.;.to an improved toestop adapted foruse with conventional rollenskates.

:Heretofore -roller sk'aters have been --subje'cted to --a serious disadvantage when figure skating, since they have been unable --:to perform the dnternationally recognized school figures rand :xintricate rfi'eld zfigures commonly executed byskilled ice skaters. Roller .skaters havebeen particularly(handicapped becauseof their inherent inability to perform such conventional skating steps ,asatoe stop, jumps, running steps, pivots .on..toe point -takeolfs orlandings on toe point and other..move ments requiring a toe stop.

,Accordingly, the principal object of ,the present invention is to. overcome disadvantages inherentin conventional roller 'skates and to provide means enabling roller skaters to perform the. aforementioned s'cho'ol ifigures and intricate field, figures which heretofore have..-been: restricted IOLwiCC skating.

Another objectzofihe invention is-to provide an improved toe stop for roller skates tthat enables ttheaperformance of toe stop jumps, running steps, pivots on toe point, takeoffs or landings on toe point and other conventional ice skating steps while skating on roller skates.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved toe stop for roller skates that is simple in construction, economical of manufacture, durable, efficient and reliable in operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved toe stop that can be easily and quickly secured to a conventional roller skate as a part of the original equipment or as an accessory, which may be readily adjusted to the requirements of the individual skater so as to obtain maximum efficiency; and which may be securely locked at the selected adjusted position.

With the above as well as other and, in certain cases, more detailed objects in view, which will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, throughout the several views of which corresponding reference characters designate corresponding parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention incorporated on a conventional roller skate;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectional plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 22 thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 4-4 thereof;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the invention incorporated on a conventional roller skate;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, side elevational view of a portion of the structure illustrated in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 6.

2,727,749 Patented Dec. 20, 1955 Referring to' thedrawings, andmore" particularlyl to'Fig. 1 ,oneembodiment oftheinvention is shown incorporated on a roller skate which includesa shoe 10, and front and Tal"'-WheBlS,", such 'as' 12 and 1'4,1rotatably mounted under the" front and" rear portions ofja'sole plate'16, in the conventionakmanner. The'forward en'dportion ofithe sole plate 16"is, rigidlyzsecured tothej sole of .the shoe and the rear "end portion to the heel. of 'the. shoe with any suitable fasteningmeansyusuallyas by screws.

"In thisembodiment "of the invention a unitary, substantially horse-shoe shaped'supporti'member. is provided,fgenerally""designated' 18, which may be cast or fotherwise formed of magnesium, aluminum, or otherzsu'it'able mate'rial, and' which maybe secured .to'a conventional roller skate as anaccessory. Thefupperportion or the suppo'rt member '18 includes a, pairof horizontally disposed, cooperating arms 20 and22" whichiproje'ct rearwardlyi a nfd laterally away from each other: and "then" toward each dtherso asto'embrace the conventionalfront wheehsupporting'structure'M of'the skate. The forward end portions"of*the arms 20 and 122 are joined by a slotted cylindrical "-clamp portion f 26 which extends: forwaifdly and'downwardly from the arms; 1

The forward end-portions or the arms 20 an'd'ZZ ate preferably riveted to the sole plate 16 at a position near, but -"spa'ced 'from, the. front edge thereof, while J screws are preferably provided at the irear end" portions thereof extending upwardly; throu glrgthe plate16 into the sole of the shoe. It is td'be'understood that ,screws .can'be. employedintheforward portions of the arms lll arld f22 if thejtoe stop is'to be'removable.

As best 'seen inFigfBflthe clamp portion26 is provided with relativ'ely long .SideportionS 28' and 29 joined at (the forward' endsdhereofby 'anintcgralbight portiqni3'0, and is adapted" to 'threadably accommodate 'therein'-'a stud32. For 'thepurpose'o'freleasablylocking the stud in a selected adjusted position, a set screw 33 is provided which extends transversely between the spaced rearwardly projecting, side portions 28 and 29, near the rear ends thereof, for increasing the pressure of the side portions on the stud.

The lower end portion of the stud 32 is upset or otherwise enlarged to form a radially extending flange portion 34 having a plurality of spaced apertures 35 therein. A hemispherically-shaped, resilient stop or pivot member 36, which may be made of hard rubber or other suitable material, is molded around the lower end portion of the stud 28, the flange portion 34 being embedded below the upper surface of the stop member 36 so that the molded rubber extends through the apertures 35 and forms a unitary structure comprised of the stud 32, including the flange portion 34, and the resilient hemisphericallyshaped stop member 36. Such a construction is strong, durable and resilient so as to readily absorb shocks ap plied thereto.

From the above description it will be appreciated that this embodiment of the invention provides a resilient toe stop which may be readily secured to a conventional roller skate as an accessory and which enables the performance of toe stop jumps, running steps, pivots on toe point, and other skating steps that require a toe stop without obstructing or impeding conventional roller skating movements. The hemispherically-shaped resilient member 36 may be adjusted so that the spherical periphery is positioned at any desired distance above the floor, by loosening the screw 33 and turning the stud 32 in the clamp portion 26, and such a construction also permits the skater to economically replace the stud when the resilient stop member 36 is no longer serviceable.

Another embodiment of the invention, which is particu larly adapted for incorporation on a roller skate as a part of the original equipment thereof, is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. In this embodiment of the invention, a sole 1 0 plate 40 is provided, the front and rear end portions of which are rigidly secured to the sole and heel respectively of the shoe 10 with any suitable fastening means, usually as by screws 42, while the front and rear wheels, such as 12 and 14, are rotatablymounted thereunder in the conventional manner.

As best seen in Fig. 6, the sole plate 40 is tapered in cross section, with the front end portion being relatively thick, and a slotted, cylindrical clamp portion 44 extends forwardly and downwardly from the relatively thick front portion of the plate. The clamp portion 44 is provided with relatively long side portions 46 and 48 joined at the forward ends thereof by an integral bight portion 50 and is adapted to threadably accommodate therein the stud 32 of the resilient stop member 36, previously described. In order that the stop member 36 may be adjusted and releasably locked in the selected adjusted position, a set screw 52 is provided which extends transversely between the rearwardly projecting side portions 46 and 48 near the rear ends thereof, for increasing the pressure of the side portions on the stud.

It will be appreciated that this embodiment of the invention provides a rugged toe stop arrangement which may be supplied with a conventional roller skate as part of the original equipment thereof and enables the per formance of school figures and intricate field figures without obstructing or impeding conventional roller skating movements.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a skate having a support plate, a forward wheel support and a toe stop the combination comprising, a supporting member having a pair of horizontal arms attached to a bight and secured to said support plate, said bight being mounted adjacent the forward portion of said front wheel support and said arms extending rearwardly side of the axis of the forward wheels to thereby embrace said forward wheel support, a bosslike portion integrally joined to said member at said bight and having an aperture extending thereinto in obtuse angle relation to the rearward portion of said plate, said aperture being threaded and the bosslike portion having a slot extending into the aperture on the rearward side of said bosslike portion, and a screw passing through said bosslike portion for reducing the diameter of the aperture when tightened.

2. In a skate having a supporting plate for a forward and rearward wheel support, a toe stop support at the front of the plate forward of but adjacent to the forward wheel support, said toe stop support embodying a bosslike portion integrally joined to the plate and having an aperture extending thereinto in obtuse angle relation to the rearward portion of said plate, said aperture being threaded and the bosslike portion having a slot extending into the aperture on the rearward side of said bosslike portion, and a screw passing through said bosslike portion for reducing the diameter of the aperture when tightened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 341,186 Tilden May 4, 1886 894,501 Hohenadel July 28, 1908 1,016,447 Sheahan Feb. 6, 1912 1,097,218 Gast et al. May 19, 1914 1,423,235 McArthur July 18, 1922 2,343,007 Goldenberg Feb. 29, 1944 2,356,736 Blaes Aug. 29, 1944 2,516,644 Post et a1 July 25, 1950 2,551,122 Hayner May 1, 1951 2,595,751 Balstad May 6, 1952 2,655,385 Neschke Oct. 13, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 403,250 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1933 

